BCMS Track

By Travis Hinthorn

Contributing Writer  

The Boundary County Middle School track season wrapped up at the small school districts at Timberlake

High School on May 10 th with eight schools competing. The top three teams received a plaque in each

division.

“We had some great individual efforts and results, but I think our large turnout of athletes (61) helped.

We have a lot of athletes getting points for us in those 4th through 8th places. That’s what really helped

our team’s success!” coach Travis Hinthorn.

8th Grade Girls- 1st Place

After finishing 2nd and 3rd to Kellogg and Timberlake in previous meets this season, the 8th grade girls

finished in first place at districts by scoring 96 points ahead of Kellogg’s 94 and Timberlake’ 85 points.

The Badgers were led by Abigail Gorton’s 26 individual points. Gorton started the meet by remaining

undefeated in the 1600 meter run with a winning time of 5:45.15, which is also a new middle school

record, breaking Casey Hampton’s time of 5:52.57 from 2003.

“We ran the girls with the boys in the 1600 at our home meet to try to push her. She missed the record

by 3 seconds. We knew she could break it at districts, but she would be running by herself. We told her

to run her 800 pace and then to start lapping people. Her family, coaches and teammates were all

around the track encouraging her. She earned this!” track coach Travis Hinthorn.

Gorton then went on the win the 800 meter run in 2:42.95 and placed third in the 400 meter run

finishing in 1:13.4. Victoria Rae also was a double winner with a personal best of 34’2.5’’ in the shot put

and a toss of 76’05’’ to finish undefeated in the discus all season.

Grace Villelli also earned a spot on the middle school record board in the relatively new event of the 100

meter hurdles which was changed in 2012. She ran to a fourth place finish in a time of 17.33 breaking

Malorie Stippich’s time of 17.39 in 2012. Villelli also took second in the high jump in her first time in the

event clearing 4’0. Villelli then anchored the winning 4X200 meter relay team running with teammates

Serenity Fahey, Lillian Goad and Josie Leyden in a time of 2:08.89. The 8 th grade girls were behind by 3

points going into the final event, but the win, along with a fifth place finish by Kellogg in the relay,

vaulted the girls into first place.

Serenity Fahey took fourth in the 400 meter run (1:13.98) and fifth in the hurdles (18.21). In the 4X100

meter relay Goad and Leyden this time teamed up with Dina Cook and Sydney Nelson to take third in a

time of 1:10.25. Nelson also placed sixth in the 100 meter dash at 15.32. Mia Hosterman also

contributed to the Badgers’ victory by placing fourth in the disc with a toss of 56’4’’ and fifth in the shot

with a put of 26’0’’.

7th Grade Boys- 1st Place

The 7th grade boys were never threatened placing first with a total of 150.5 points well ahead of second

place Wallace with 89 and Timberlake in third with 86 points.

Dylan Hines-Kittell led the Badgers and continued his success in the distance events with wins in the

1600 (5:35.85), 800 (2:32.91) and also placed second in the 110 meter hurdles (19.01). Hayden Stockton

was also a double winner with season best jump of 14’08.5’’ to win the long jump by more than a foot

over second place. Stockton pulled away from the pack in the 200 finals to win with a time of 27.16. He

also placed third in the 100 (13.60). Chase Tucker easily won the 400 meter dash with a time of 1:02.42

and also took second in the 100 (13.58) and fourth in the 200 (28.57). Evan Barajas also placed in all

three of his events. Barajas placed second in the long jump with a jump of 13’7.5’’ and took fourth in

both the 800 (2:44.84) and 1600 (6:05.06).

Nick Cooper, Isaiah Shottanana, Tyler Lucas and Josh Beazer all placed in two of their events. Cooper

placed second in the shot with a put of 29’5.75’’ and fourth in the disc with a toss of 65’04’’. Shottanana

had a pair of third places finishes clearing 4’04’’ in the high jump and finishing the 400 with a time of

1:10.74. Lucas placed fifth in both the 800 (2:49.14) and the 1600 (6:11.85). Beazer took seventh in the

high jump clearing 4’0’’ and eighth in the long jump with a jump of 11’06’’.

Other 7th grade boys who placed were: Ryan Peterson, eighth in the 800 (3:12.25), Jonathon Snyder,

seventh in the 1600 (6:55.3), Jaron Figueroa, eighth in the shot put (18’7’’), Spencer Eby, seventh in the

high jump (4’0’’) and Austin Madden, fifth in the long jump (12’9’’). Madden, Eby and Josh Beazer also

teamed up with Ian Beazer to place second in the 4X100 meter relay to place second with a time of

1:03.76.

8th Grade Boys- 2nd Place

Two teams pulled away from the rest in the 8th grade boys division. Timberlake won scoring 162 points

with Bonners Ferry in second with 143 and Kellogg a distant third with 49 points.

BCMS newcomer Owen Vandecoevering was the Badgers’ lone individual first place winner.

Vandecoevering won the shot put to remain unbeaten in the event this year with a season’s best 35’04’’.

He also placed fifth in the disc with a distance of 81’05’’.

The Badgers used a total team effort in their second place finish. They had multiple placers in most

events. Justin Mendenhall led the Badger sprinters all year and continued to do so with his third place

finish in the 100 meter dash in a time of 13.02 seconds. He was followed by Chad Maas in fourth (13.5),

Mitch Falck fifth (13.57) and Carver Copley sixth (13.8). Mendenhall also placed third in the 200 meter

dash in a time of 27.06 seconds and was followed by Falck in fourth place (27.34) and Copley in seventh

(29.16). In the 400 meter dash Cody Kerstiens placed sixth with a time of 1:04.25 followed by Jake

Jelinek in seventh at 1:04.5.

Austin Donn continued to lead the distance crew finishing with a season’s best 5:30.33 in the 1600

meter run to finish second. He was followed by Jay Miller who placed fifth (5:46.14) and Thomas

Mooney-Rivkin in eighth (5:58.64). Donn also placed fifth in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:34.92.

Another group of Badgers scored multiple points in the 110 meter hurdles. Ben Tompkins led the hurdle

crew placing fifth in a time of 17.73 seconds. He was joined by Mooney-Rivkin in sixth (17.93) and

Nathan Olson in seventh crossing the finish line with a time of 18.63 seconds.

The sprint crew of Ryker DesRosier, Maas, Falck and Mendenhall continued their success with a second

place finish in the 4X100 meter relay with a time of 52.57 seconds. In the 4X200, Maas, Tompkins,

Kerstiens, and teammate Aaron Hubbard teamed up for a second place finish in 1:52.77.

The throwing group had a great showing in the disc by taking five of the eight places. Jay Miller threw a

personal best 91’4’’ to place second in the disc. He was followed by Tucker Owens in third (87’09’’),

Matt Morgan fourth (87’03’’), Vandecoevering fifth and Michael Youngwirth in sixth (80’08’’). They also

took four of eight places in the shot put. After Vandecoevering’s first place finish was Owens in fourth

(30’5’’), Quinn Gray in fifth (29’10.75’’), and Youngwirth in eighth (28’5.75’’).

Jake Jelinek led a large group of 8 th grade boys who have been scoring big points in jumping events all

season. Jelinek took second clearing 5’0’’. He was followed by Matt Morgan in fifth clearing 4’8’’ and

Ben Tompkins, Ryker DesRosier and Aaron Hubbard all tied for sixth place clearing 4’6’’. Jelinek also

placed eighth in the long jump leaping to a distance of 14’0.5’’.

7th Grade Girls- 2nd Place

The 7th grade girl were very similar to the 8th grade boys in that they had one individual winner and then

multiple placers in numerous events in their second place team finish with 101 points, behind first place

Timberlake who had 118 points. Valley Christian placed third with 84 points.

Reese Lane was the Badgers’ lone individual champion winning the disc with a toss of 63’5’’. Holly

Ansley led the Badgers scoring in all three of her events. Ansley placed second in the 400 (1:12.8), and

third in both the 100 (14.83) and 200 (31.79). Fellow sprinter Hannah Facha was close behind with a

fifth place finish in the 200 in a time of 32.51 and crossing the finish line in fourth place in the 400 in a

time of 1:17.84. Sonja Andrejczak also scored in the sprints with a fifth place finish (15.57) in the 100

and fourth place finish in the 200 (32.48). Andrejczak also anchored the 4X200 relay team, which placed

second in a time of 2:19.15, running with teammates Sierra Hill, Mercedes Hill and Alex Lowley. The Hill

twins also ran in the 4X100 meter relay with hurdlers Morgan Swanson and Alisa Hannaman to another

second place finish in a time of 1:08.02. In the hurdles Swanson placed sixth (20.88) and Hannaman

finished in eighth (21.39).

In the distance races Avery Pluid scored a second place in the 1600 meter run in a time of 6:54.06. She

was followed by Jenna Brooks in fourth with a time of 8:02.61 and Shayla Poppino in fifth crossing the

finish line at 8:06.8. Pluid then took sixth in the 800 (3:12.52) and was joined by Kylie Branson in eighth

place (3:28.19).

Alex Lowley scored in both throwing events. Lowley placed fourth in the disc with a toss of 55’0’’. She

also placed fifth in the shot put with a put of 21’10.25’’ followed closely by teammate Jenna Brooks in

her first time putting the shot, placing sixth with a distance of 21’3.5’’.